About the Theme

Brains Before Blood celebrates horror stories where the defining characteristic of the protagonist, antagonist, or both is their intelligence, passion, or obsessive curiosity—not brute force or physical dominance. These are stories where the mind is the weapon, the obsession is the undoing, or knowledge itself becomes the monster.

We define nerd horror as horror born from intellectual pursuits, obsessive fandoms, academic or technical expertise, or the consequences of using one's brain to engage with forces beyond human control. Think programmers who accidentally create sentient algorithms, cryptozoologists who actually find what they’re hunting, gamers who unlock cursed content, collectors whose rarest item bites back, or hobbyists whose DIY projects go horribly wrong.

We aren’t looking for traditional monster stories, slashers, or horror that relies primarily on physical strength, violence, or brute survival. Those things can be elements of your story, but this is horror for thinkers, dreamers, inventors, and overachievers—where knowledge is both power and the source of terror.

Story Requirements

• Length: 2,000 to 6,000 words

• Original, unpublished fiction only

• Clear connection to the nerd horror theme (see definition above)

• All horror subgenres are welcome: psychological, cosmic, sci-fi, slasher, body horror, horror comedy, folk horror, ghost stories, tech horror, occult, paranormal and cryptozoology horror, etc.

• Stories should center on characters whose minds, obsessions, or intellectual pursuits are key to the horror

• Subtle or overt social commentary is welcome, but not required

• Diverse characters, cultures, and perspectives encouraged

What We’re Not Looking For

• Pure action or gore with no intellectual hook

• Generic monster-of-the-week stories

• Violence or shock for its own sake

• Erotica for its own sake

• Stories that punch down or perpetuate harmful stereotypes

Compensation & Rights

• 2 cents per word USD plus a contributor copy of the EPUB and full-color illustrated hardcover edition. 

• Note: Increases to the per word rate are tied to our crowdfunder success and stretch goals. Our goal is to get the author pay rate up to 8 cents per word.

• Rights Requested: 

• Exclusive worldwide print and digital rights for one year

• Nonexclusive audio

• Name, image, and likeness
  (for the purposes of marketing the anthology only)

How to Submit

Submissions for the Brains Before Blood anthology will open to the public as soon as our Kickstarter campaign reaches its base goal of $4,000 USD.

• Format: Standard manuscript format (12pt, double-spaced, Times New Roman)

• File type: .doc, .docx, or .rtf

• Email subject line: “Brains Before Blood Submission – [Story Title] by [Author Name]”

• Submit to: the email address to send your submission to will be added here once public submissions open.

Deadline

Once submissions open in June or July (depending on when the Kickstarter reaches the funding goal), the deadline to submit stories will be September 30, 2025.

Questions?

Email nerdhorrorpodcast@gmail.com

Nerd Horror Examples

Movies

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) – A group of misfit teens harness their creativity, personal strengths, and shared dream logic to turn Freddy’s killing ground into their own battlefield—proving that imagination is a survival skill.

Ex Machina (2014) – A reclusive genius creates an AI that outsmarts its maker. Classic nerd horror rooted in obsession, isolation, and intellectual arrogance.

The Fly (1986) – A brilliant but reckless scientist’s teleportation experiment mutates his body. Science and ambition literally destroy him.

Ghostbusters (1984) – A group of fringe scientists and inventors use homemade tech to hunt the paranormal, unleashing bigger threats. Horror played for comedy, but nerd horror at its core.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012) – Aside from the quintessential stoner nerd protagonist, the real nerd horror lies in the underground technicians who intellectualize and orchestrate ritual slaughter.

Books

The Cipher by Kathe Koja – Two self-destructive artists stumble upon a mysterious void and, driven by obsession and morbid curiosity, turn their discovery into a horrifying experiment in body and mind.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle – A queer horror writer uses meta-fiction and narrative hacking to fight back against a cursed horror trope, proving that storytelling itself is the deadliest—and most liberating—weapon of all.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling – A caver and her manipulative handler locked in a technological and psychological death spiral.

The Troop by Nick Cutter – A nerdy scout leader’s scientific curiosity leads a troop into grotesque body horror.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer – A team of scientists enter a bio-mutating zone. Horror meets academic exploration.

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman – Media obsession becomes a possession epidemic that turns screen time into a demonic contagion.